Art of printing.



Patented Jan. 2, i906.

INVENTOR flaw 004% g a @1071 No. MUAM.

J R CURBIN ABT 0F PRINTING.

lV/T/VESSES ART Of' PRINTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,447, dated January 2, 1900.

Application filed February 3, 1899. Serial No.704,88'7. (N model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHNSON ROSS CORBIN, a citizen of theUnited States,residing in Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Printing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of printing, and has for its objects certain improvements in the method of and apparatus for transferring an impression or impressions from a relief-surface or relief-surfaces carrying the design onto the paper or other materialto be printed, said methods and apparatus requiring as an essential element an intermediate planographic transfer surface or surfaces to which the ink impression is transferred and from which it is imparted to the surface to be printed.

Specifically enumerated my improvements consist, first, in a method of and apparatus for simultaneously transferring two designs from suitable design-surfaces onto the surface or surfaces to be printed by means of intermediate planographio transfer-surfaces; secondly, in transferring from a single designsurface two impressions simultaneously onto opposite sides of the surface or surfaces to be printed, and, thirdly, in transferring from a single design-surface two impressions simultaneously and in accurate register onto opposite sides of the surface to be printed. These objects I accomplish in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of a rotary printing mechanism for accomplishing the simultaneoustransferoftwoimpressions. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a mechanism for simultaneously transferring the same impression onto opposite sides of a sheet or sheets from a single design-surface.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the two views.

In the said drawings the numeral 1 denotes a cylinder upon which is adapted to be mounted a plate 52, carrying thereon the design to be printed in relief, the surface of said plate projecting slightly beyond the periphery of the said cylinder, as shown. A train of inking-rollers 3, arranged so as to contact only with the plate 2, impart the necessary ink to said plate in the usual manner. Mounted in proximity to the design-cylinder is a printingcylinder 4, the circumference of which is preferably twice that of said design-cylinder and which carries on a portion of its periphery a yielding surface 5,composed of printers-roller composition, gelatin, rubber, or other material suitable for receiving ink, said surface projecting beyond the periphery of roller 4 sufficiently to contact with the plate 2 on de sign-cylinder 1 and receive an ink impression therefrom. Mounted beneath these cylinders is a similar series of cylinders, consisting of design-cylinder 6, carrying plate 7, inkingtrain 8, and impression-cylinder 9, carrying yielding surface 10, the surfaces 5 and being adapted to contact with each other with a light pressure. It will thus be seen that each yielding surface 5 and 10 during each rotation of its cylinder will receive an inkimpression from its design-plate 2 or 7 and will impart said impressions simultaneously to opposite sides of a single sheet of paper or other material or to opposite sides of two sheets passed between the cylinders 4 and 9. This result would be impossible were it attempted to print simultaneously from the design-plates themselves, as the irregular contours of the relief-designs thereon would prevent the proper contact at all points, and is only rendered possible by printing from the planographic surfaces 5 and 10, which always remain mechanical transfersurfaces purely, the yielding character of which permits their properly taking up the ink from the designsurfaces without the necessity for any accurate making ready and depositing the design onto the sheet to be printed under a very light pressure.

It will be understood that when it is desired to print on one side only of a sheet one of the inking-trains 3 or 8 may be thrown out of contact with its plate, and its planographic surface 5 or 10 will then serve simply as an impression-surface for the other planographic surface.

I have shown in Fig. 2 the design-cylinder 0, plate 7, and inking-train omitted, said construetion being intended to be used for printing on opposite sides of a sheet or sheets simultaneously from the single design-plate 2 by a novel method which I will now proceed to describe. Ink being imparted to said plate 2 from ink-train 3 is transferred to surface 5 on its first contact therewith, and on the further rotation of cylinder 4 said surface 5 will contact with and transfer this ink design to surface lOon cylinder 9, no sheet to be printed being fed to the machine during this first rotation of cylinders at and 9. The second rotation of said cylinders will cause a fresh ink design to be imparted to surface 5 from plate 2, and upon now feeding a sheet or sheets to be printed between cylinders 4 and 9 the ink designs carried by surfaces 5 and 10 will be imparted thereto simultaneously, the result being where a single sheet is fed that both sides are printed and where two sheets are fed that opposite sides of said sheets are printed, it being of course understood that the design imparted by surface 10 will be in reverse to that imparted by surface 5. It will also be understood from this description that if the cylinders 4 and 9are accurately geared to rotate in unison the transfer of the two impressions to a single sheet will be in absolutely accurate register.

The abovedescribed processes are designed to be carried out either by feeding separate sheets to the device or by feeding a web or 'webs :of paper or other material, it being necessary, however, when the printing from a single design-surface onto opposite sides of the material is carried out to provide means for shifting the web bodily sidewise during each alternate rotation of the cylinders tand t 9, so that the under surface 10 may receive its transfer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters relief-surfaces onto two separate planographic surfaces, and from them transferring the ink designs simultaneously to opposite sides of the sheet or sheets to be printed.

3. The art of printing from a single designsurface upon opposite sides of a sheet or sheets, which consists in first inking said design-surface,then transferring said ink design onto a planographic surface, then transferring said ink design from said planographic surface onto a second planographic surface, again inking said design-surface, again transferring said ink design onto the first planographic surface, and finally'printing simultaneously from both said planographic surfaces onto "the sheet or sheets to be printed.

4:. The art of printing from a single reliefsurface upon opposite sides of a sheet or sheets, which consists in first inking said relief-surface, then transferring said ink design onto a planographic surface, then transferring said ink design from said planographic surface onto a second planographic surface,again inking said relief-surface,again transferring said ink design onto the first planographic surface, and finally printing simultaneously from bothsa-id planographic surfaces onto the sheet or sheets to be printed.

5. The art of printing from a single designsurface upon opposite sides of a sheet and in accurate register, which consists in first inking said design-surface,then transferring said ink design onto a planographic surface, then transferring said ink design from said planographic surface onto a second planographic surface in accurate register therewith, again inking'said design-surface,again transferring said ink design onto the first planographic surface, and finally printing simultaneously from both said planographic surfaces .onto both sides of the sheet to be printed.

6. In a printing-press, two yielding planographic surfaces adapted to cont-act with each other, in combination with means for imparting to said surfaces ink designs,whereby a sheet or sheets to be printed will receive an impression .or impressions when passed between said yielding surfaces, each of said surfaces acting as a printing-surface and as an impression-surface.

'7. In aprinting-press, two rotary cylinders, a yielding planographic surface carried by each of said cylinders and adapted to .contact with each other during the rotation of said cylinders, in combination with means for impartinglto said surfaces ink designs,whereby a sheet or sheets to be printed will receive an impression or impressions when passed between said yielding surfaces, each .of said surfaces acting as a printing-surface and as an impression-surface.

8 In a printing-press, two yielding planographic surfaces adapted tocontact with each other, and a single design-surface adapted to impart ink designs to both of said planographic surfaces, whereby said surfaces may be printed from simultaneously.

9. In a printing-press, two yielding planographic surfaces-adapted to contact with each other, a single design-surface adapted to contact with one of-said planographic surfaces,

and means for transferring ink designs from said design-surface to both .of said planographic surfaces, whereby said surfaces may be printed from simultaneously.

10. In a rotary printing-press, two rotary cylinders, a yielding planographic surface carried by each of said cylinders and adapted to contact with each other during the rotation of said cylinders, in combination with a single plate-cylinder carrying a design-surface, and means for transferring ink designs from said design-surface to both of said planoby the ink designs from said design-surfaces will be transferred to said yielding surfaces and in turn imparted to a sheet or sheets passed between said rotary cylinders.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses. v

JOHNSON ROSS OORBIN. l/Vitnesses:

HUGH M. STERLING, PERCY B. HILLS. 

